Rousey retained her Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s
bantamweight crown with a first-round technical knockout over
Sara
McMann in the UFC
170 headliner on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in
Las Vegas. A knee strike to the liver folded McMann (7-1, 1-1 UFC)
66 seconds into round one, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist beaten
for the first time as a professional.

“We studied her videos and noticed that no one ever really tries to
hit her to the body,” Rousey said. “Since she’s a wrestler, she has
that bent posture, so we felt like it was the best thing to
concentrate on the liver shot for this camp. The left knee has been
working for me the most during this camp, and I thought if I stayed
consistent on that one spot that it would eventually work.”

McMann tagged the champion with power punches during their initial
exchange, but Rousey (9-0, 3-0 UFC) closed the distance and trapped
her along the cage. Standing elbows and knees opened up the
challenger for the fight-ending blow. McMann collapsed to her knees
upon absorbing the liver shot, leading referee Herb Dean to
intervene on her behalf.

“I thought it was a good fight,” McMann said. “I got hit in the
liver. No matter how hard you train, it’s not like you can get your
liver stronger. I just look forward to going back to the drawing
board. I hope to get a rematch and put on a better fight.”

McMann did not dispute the stoppage.

“I was trying to get back up, but it’s my own fault,” she said. “If
you see a fighter drop, [the referee] is trying to protect us. I
should have gotten back to my feet quicker.”

Cormier Smashes Cummins in 79 Seconds

In the co-main event, Daniel
Cormier dazzled in his light heavyweight debut, as he needed a
little more than a minute to smash through Patrick
Cummins with savage first-round punches. A late replacement for
the injured Rashad
Evans, Cummins (4-1, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to the blows 79 seconds
into round one.

Cormier (14-0, 3-0 UFC) went to work right away, cracking the Reign
MMA representative with a pair of right uppercuts, the second of
which left Cummins in a dazed state. The American Kickboxing
Academy ace then swarmed with unanswered punches, securing his
first stoppage since arriving in the UFC in April.

“It had to happen this way,” Cormier said. “It could not have gone
the distance. I’m mad that he even hit me twice because of all the
talking he did. It feels good. When you talk, you’ve got to be able
to back it up. That’s what I do. Pat has a bright future in the
UFC, but this was a big challenge for him. I feel good about my
first time down [at 205 pounds].”

Standup, Sprawl Spurs MacDonald

An effective sprawl and a multi-pronged standup attack carried
Tristar Gym’s Rory
MacDonald to a unanimous decision over 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat
Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist
Demian
Maia in a high-stakes welterweight encounter. All three judges
arrived at the same verdict: 29-28 for MacDonald (16-2, 7-2
UFC).

Maia (18-6, 12-6 UFC) was in prime form in the first round. He
secured a takedown inside the first 20 seconds, softened the
Canadian with elbows and eventually moved to mount. However, Maia
expended a great deal of energy in achieving the dominant position.
By round two, fatigue had set in on the Brazilian. MacDonald
peppered him with jabs and body kicks, leaning on his superior
conditioning in turning the corner.

Though physically compromised, Maia managed to score another
takedown in the third round. His inability to control MacDonald
proved costly, as the former King of the Cage champion rose to his
feet and picked up where he left off with accurate and damaging
punching combinations.

“I think if I overreacted and got stressed out against a guy of his
caliber that it wouldn’t have taken him long to tire me out,”
MacDonald said. “The animal is back. I’m ready to kick some ass.
I’m ready to kill. I’ve got my mindset back on track, and I’m ready
for that title.”

Surging Pyle Finishes Waldburger

Former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Mike Pyle
dispatched T.J.
Waldburger with third-round ground-and-pound in a featured
clash at 170 pounds. Pyle (26-9-1, 9-4 UFC) closed the deal 4:03
into round three, as he won for the fifth time in six
appearances.

The matchup was competitive for two rounds, but the tide turned in
Pyle’s favor in the third. There, he wobbled Waldburger (16-9, 4-4
UFC) with an overhand right, a spinning back elbow and a pair of
standing elbows in the clinch before diving on a guillotine choke.
The maneuver failed to secure the desired submission, but Pyle
settled into mount and ultimately transitioned to the fading
Texan’s back, finishing it there with elbows and punches.

“He was tough,” Pyle said. “He hit me with some good shots. His leg
kicks were pretty hard. I expected a battle, and that’s what I got.
We prepared for him fully, and he did just what we thought he
would.”

‘Wonderboy’ Thompson Manhandles Whittaker

Stephen
Thompson put away “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” winner
Robert
Whittaker with first-round punches in a welterweight showcase.
Thompson (9-1, 4-1 UFC) drew the curtain on the Aussie 3:43 into
round one, as he delivered his third straight victory in
spectacular fashion.

Whittaker (11-4, 2-2 UFC) was on his heels from the start. Thompson
floored him with a straight right, swarmed with punches as he stood
and dropped him again before finishing the kneeling 23-year-old
with a series of unanswered blows. Whittaker had never before been
stopped by strikes.

“The more I do this, the more I get comfortable with it,” Thompson
said. “I’m a striker. That’s who I am. I wouldn’t say I’m the best
MMA fighter, but I’m working on it. I’m getting better every day,
and you’ll see me back in here very soon. When I see him go down, I
know I have to be careful. I’ve seen guys rush in and get knocked
out, so I’m very hesitant going in, but I knew he wasn’t getting
back up, and I finished him from there.”